Interesting stories, events and random musings from Captain Barry King about windjammer cruises aboard the historic schooner Mary Day of Camden, Maine.

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Good morning everyone. Here is the second (and final) installment of “Home Made Maple Syrup” from the global headquarters of Dog Slobber Productions. Here is a link to the first one, Tapping Maples, just in case you missed it or you can’t sleep. We had fun doing this off-the-cuff video about how we make syrup. Look ma, no script! It just goes to prove that even a windjammer captain can be taught to do simple tasks. Thanks to staff cinematographers¬†Jen and Katie. Thanks to the beautiful weather, in particular the cold nights and warm days that make the sap run and give us all the warm feeling of hope that gets us through mud season. Rest assured that no maples were irreparably harmed in the making of these videos.

Our home made sap boiler.

Disclaimer 1: There other ways to collect and cook down your maple sap. This just happens to be how one highly untrained hack who can’t even perform his own stunts does it while his poor, long suffering wife and kids watch in head-shaking wonder.

Disclaimer B: Please, don’t don’t take his word for it. Go out there and give it a whack yourself and let the world know how you did.

Final Disclaimer: The management, staff and underwriters at the global headquarters of Dog Slobber Productions take no responsibility for the images and opinions expressed here ¬†or how good your maple syrup tastes nor should anything Capt. Barry King says or does be taken seriously. He is not a trained professional and should probably not be allowed to appear in public, let alone this cheap, no budget, home spun production that he insists has some feeble relationship to humor.

Well enjoy this video. Better yet come sailing and enjoy the real thing!

Good morning everyone. Spring is beginning to claw its way into mid-coast Maine and the urge to tap our maples became overwhelming yesterday afternoon. We must have picked the right day because the sap was immediately flowing from the holes we drilled. Last night was quite cool and today’s temperatures are supposed to be in the low 40s; perfect conditions for the sap to flow vigorously. We store the sap in trash cans buried in a snow bank and start to boil when we get 40 gallons. That amount should yield a gallon of the sweetest syrup to greet our taste buds. Pancakes anyone? We can’t wait!